That's a wrap! With Spring in the air and on the calendar, we've closed the books on the Seasons Clock and the over 600 observations we added to it since March 19, 2020. I'd like to extend a big thank you to all who participated!

We ended with observations of nearly all of our focal species and saw some differences compared to prior years' observations on iNaturalist (2006-2019) summarized below:

Turkey Vulture - seen into September instead of June
Black-capped Chickadee - sang the "fee-bee" song in September, well outside of the normal March/April
Red-winged Blackbird - seen into June, not just the start of May
Canada Goose - seen March to August, instead of November to June

Northern Leopard Frog - seen into November, not just October
Painted Turtle - seen into October, not just June
Wood Frog - seen June to September, not April to May

Mourning Cloak Butterflies - seen into July, not just May

Pussy Willow buds - seen in March, not April
Silver Maple flowers - seen in March, not April
Basswood flowers - seen in July, not May
Common Milkweed pods - seen into November, not just September

Muskrat - observations into November instead of August
Red Fox - seen year-round, even in August and September

See the full clock here:
https://burlingtonwildways.org/projects/burlington-seasons-clock-2020

Stay tuned for new phenology projects from Burlington Wildways by checking on the project page!
https://burlingtonwildways.org/projects
We have many exciting new projects and content being planned for Spring 2021 and Earth Day 2021 including a collaborative run between Burlington and Winooski at the City Nature Challenge:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-burlington-winooski

Enjoy the Spring, get out, and celebrate nature!

-Gustave Sexauer
Burlington Wildways

Burlington Phenologists,

I was amazed to see the number of observations rolling in this month, not just of the birds arriving this spring, but of the resurgence of summer observations being posted during a snowy February. While the clock's bounds pushed ahead with many more wildlife camera photos of foxes and students' birdwatching reports on campus, data was backfilling for large white trillium and purple-flowered raspberry blooms from last year.

We have just a few weeks left before we'll close the books on the 2020 Burlington Seasons Clock. We will welcome the spring weather, migrants and buds, and a new project to continue our community nature research through this calendar year.

Want to make more of a game out of the Seasons Clock? Play our Wildways Bingo game which is updated monthly and highlights species from this phenology project:
https://burlingtonwildways.org/projects/wildways-bingo

Check on the current clock and see a GIF past years' clock data here:
https://burlingtonwildways.org/projects/burlington-seasons-clock-2020

-Gustave Sexauer
Burlington Wildways

Burlington Phenologists,

After some deliberation over the new year, we've decided to shift the 2020 Burlington Seasons Clock project a bit to align better with the seasons. Being that we started this project around the vernal equinox in 2020, we'll run it through the end of winter 2021 to capture four full seasons of nature in Vermont.

This means we'll have the opportunity to document the earliest arrivals of migrating species in late winter, like the return of Canada geese, and phenological traits like flowering maples in March. Don't forget to appreciate the overwhelming murders, or roosts, of crows taking over the Old North End and growing by the day, either!

Check on the current clock and see a GIF past years' clock data here:
https://burlingtonwildways.org/projects/burlington-seasons-clock-2020

Stay tuned for a reboot of the seasons clock around Earth Day 2021 with an expanded area and revised focal species!

-Gustave Sexauer
Burlington Wildways

I suppose you all listened when I said "stay warm" in my post a month ago. People were calling yesterday a "Florida Christmas". We will have to continue tracking the wildlife in Burlington to see if they felt the same.

The year is winding down, and many of the species we enjoyed seeing earlier in the fall have gone. Beavers have still been seen hard at work, and muskrats too, and a few robins are still hanging around in the trees. November also brought in more sightings of wooly bears, maybe the last leopard frog, and a milkweed pod still hanging on although the monarchs have left.

Stay outside in December and see what you can find! You can also play our monthly bingo game which always contains some of the species from the Clock project: https://burlingtonwildways.org/projects/wildways-bingo

Just a reminder, although tree species like red maple and basswood are part of the project, we are only showing their flowering season on the clock, so any winter observations won't be added.

Check on the current clock and see a GIF past years' clock data here:
https://burlingtonwildways.org/projects/burlington-seasons-clock-2020

Think snow!

-Gustave Sexauer
Burlington Wildways

With the number of leaves on the trees dwindling, observations on iNaturalist do too. Let's buck that trend and continue to report on our focus species!

This past month we had continued observations of red fox, chipmunks, robins, woolly bears, leopard frogs, and likely the last of the monarchs. Winter based species and winter behaviors are starting to return with new observations of black-capped chickadees singing their "fee-bee" songs and the return of the common merganser.

Be on the lookout in November for "murders" of crows: that's a group of three or more which usually only occurs in winter when food is more scarce. Also coming up is our first instance of snowpack, which is the only non-living thing on our seasons clock at this time. You also might be lucky enough to see reptiles and amphibians one more time before they head underground. Don't let the cold grey skies discourage you from enjoying nature this time of year!

Check on the current clock and see a GIF past years' clock data here:
https://burlingtonwildways.org/projects/burlington-seasons-clock-2020

Stay warm!

-Gustave Sexauer
Burlington Wildways

Our clock has certainly gotten a UVM bump to start off the fall with observations pouring in daily! Notable sightings in the second half of September include the first phoebe in months, several more endangered monarch butterflies, and only the second wood frog observation of the year. There was even a flowering purple-flowered raspberry sent in about a month after the previous withering specimen was seen.

Coming up in October, keep looking for more woolly bears and the last of the monarchs for the year. Some winter species behavior should be coming back soon as well, which presents and interesting challenge for displaying out findings on the clock. Notice that the black-capped chickadees are shown September through April now since they were found singing their "fee-bee" song again. Being that they only sing it in the colder months, we can't connect those sound observations through the summer.

Check on the current clock and see a GIF past years' clock data here:
https://burlingtonwildways.org/projects/burlington-seasons-clock-2020

Happy observing!

-Gustave Sexauer
Burlington Wildways

Welcome UVM students who are just joining the project! There has certainly been an influx of observations of our focus species this month. As summer is winding down and the mornings get chillier by the week, many of our species will be hanging it up for the year. Now is the perfect time to go and find them before they're gone! Traditionally, beavers, box elder bugs, monarchs, phoebes, woolly bears, and garter snakes are all still around in the coming month. Also, be sure to check check the Project List page to make sure you are submitting observations of the focus species with the focus phenology characteristics (in italics under some species):

https://www.inaturalist.org/lists/2945013-Burlington-Wildways-Phenology-Clocks-Check-List?rank=species

For instance, we are interested in when crows form murders, but not when they are solitary or in pairs, and we want to know when chickadees sing the "fee-bee" song, so only observations with those sound bites will end up linked to the project. However, some focus species have no qualifiers and we are just recording their presence, like robins, milkweed, and monarchs.

Check on the current clock and see a GIF past years' clock data here:
https://burlingtonwildways.org/projects/burlington-seasons-clock-2020

Happy observing!

-Gustave Sexauer
Burlington Wildways

We know what the cool breeze and the changing leaves mean for the seasons, and so do the plants and animals in Burlington. The geese are beginning to form teams and fly through the city, and other migrators are soon to follow. Although it may seem melancholy, it is important for us to mark the calendar with the "lasts" of the summer. As our climate shifts, we need to learn how species adapt and shift with it... or not. This month, try and make the last observations of the year of double-crested cormorants, yellow garden spiders, box elder bugs, and purple flowered raspberries.

In August, we surpassed 400 observations for the year! This was thanks to many garden spiders in the later half of August and the "reappearance" of several species that had gone unseen for a month or more like muskrats, ospreys, and red fox. Stay vigilant for the Isabella tiger moth, yet unseen in Burlington.

Check on the current clock and see a GIF past years' clock data here:
https://burlingtonwildways.org/projects/burlington-seasons-clock-2020

-Gustave Sexauer
Burlington Wildways

Sure enough, yellow garden spider observations are rolling in as August is in full swing. Monarchs are also out, though hard to photograph when they won't sit still, and some of you have submitted great photos of black swallowtail caterpillars! Though this may be the first update with no new species identified from the list, some focus species are coming back on the radar (like the turkey vulture) even though they may have been here all summer long.

Keep your eyes open for the Isabella tiger moth, which continues to be elusive in Burlington, despite all of the young woolly bears on the prowl.

Check on the current clock and see a GIF past years' clock data here:
https://burlingtonwildways.org/projects/burlington-seasons-clock-2020

-Gustave Sexauer
Burlington Wildways

Burlington Phenologists,

Our town is aflutter with life as we push through the hottest time of the year. Both monarch and black swallowtail butterflies have been found in the past weeks and more are surely on their way. Our harbinger of midsummer, the yellow garden spider, also made its first appearance of the year. This leaves just one in-season life-form yet to be found: the Isabella Tiger Moth. While its caterpillar form, the woolly bear, is often identified by kids to adults, the mature form was only photographed once in Burlington, back in 2018.

August is typically a slow month on iNaturalist in Burlington, with people recording fewer species than any other spring or summer month, but with the lush foliage and thriving wildlife abounding, let's aim to change that!

Check on the current clock and see a GIF past years' clock data here:
https://burlingtonwildways.org/projects/burlington-seasons-clock-2020

-Gustave Sexauer
Burlington Wildways